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Morphological characteristics and expression patterns of different flower shapes in Chrysanthemum morifolium
Qiu, Taijia & Li, Song & Zhao, Kunkun & Diwen, Jia & Ding, Lian. (2023). Morphological Characteristics and Expression Patterns of CmCYC2c of Different Flower Shapes in Chrysanthemum morifolium. Plants. 12. 3728. 10.3390/plants12213728.
The chrysanthemum is widely utilized as a cut flower, potted flower, and garden flower worldwide, and it holds significant ornamental, edible, and medicinal value.
In their research, the authors compared and analyzed the developmental processes of different capitulum types as well as ray florets and disc florets within chrysanthemums. They observed that morphological differences between the two florets emerged on the dorsal domain of the petals during stage Ⅳ of flower development, with disparities in stamen development becoming evident during stage Ⅴ. The dorsal domain of the ray florets and the early stages of flower development played crucial roles in distinguishing among capitulum types.
Furthermore, in situ hybridization revealed that CmCYC2c, a gene associated with the specification of floret identity in Asteraceae, exhibited distinct expression patterns in different chrysanthemum cultivars. In the tubular-type chrysanthemum, CmCYC2c was expressed in both the dorsal and ventral domains of the ray petals, while in flat- and spoon-type chrysanthemum cultivars, its transcription differed. Specifically, it showed lower or no expression in the dorsal domain and higher expression in the ventral domain at stage Ⅳ. The study suggests that the expression pattern of CmCYC2c on the dorsal domain of the ray floret during stage Ⅳ plays a pivotal role in shaping the diverse flower head types found in chrysanthemums.